A significant number of oil reserves contain crude oil having an undesirably high concentration of fines, such as sand and clay, which can make the oil unsuitable for many uses. The oil industry has attempted to address the problem of removing a sufficient amount of the fines from the crude oil to achieve an acceptable concentration of fines within the oil. However, a significant problem with conventional processes is the need for multiple processing steps to remove the fines from the oil, thus increasing the cost and time for the removal process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,495 shows one example of a conventional apparatus and process for upgrading the purity of crude oil. The apparatus disclosed therein requires a relatively intricate flashing arrangement, and further requires the step of heating the crude oil to separate the crude oil from the fines. Heating the crude oil to separate it from the fines significantly increases the time and energy required to extract the sand from the oil, thus driving up the cost of the process. As a result, a need has arisen for a more cost effective and time efficient method for removal of fines from oil.